Upanishads · Kaṭha 3.9
॥
Devanāgarī
विज्ञानसारथिर् यस् तु मनः प्रग्रहवान् नरः ।
सो ऽध्वनः पारम् आप्नोति तद् विष्णोः परमं पदम्
Transliteration (IAST)
vijñānasārathir yas tu manaḥ pragrahavān naraḥ /
so 'dhvanaḥ pāram āpnoti tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
विज्ञानvijñānadiscerning knowledge; consciousness
सारथिःsārathiḥthe charioteer (sārathi); the driver of the chariot; the charioteer
यःyaḥwho; the one who
तुtusurely; indeed
मनःmanaḥthe mind; the inner organ
प्रग्रहवान्pragrahavānholding the reins (pragraha-vat); with firm bridle-straps; master of the rein
नरःnaraḥman; the person
सःsaḥhe; such a man
अध्वनःadhvanaḥof the road (adhvan — 'the long journey'); roads; of the journey
पारम्pāramthe far shore; the end
आप्नोतिāpnotiattains; obtains
तत्tatthat; this
विष्णोःviṣṇoḥof Viṣṇu ('the all-pervading'); of the Preserver; of Lord Viṣṇu
परमम्paramamthe supreme; the sovereign; the transcendent
पदम्padamthe abode; the step (pada); the abode; the hall
Translation
The man whose charioteer is discernment and whose mind is a firm rein reaches the end of the road: that is the supreme abode of Viṣṇu.
Version
e44c841ae805 · published Jul 26, 2026, 9:13:03 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The completion of the allegory — and one of the most important places in the Upaniṣad. vijñāna-sārathir yas tu — "he whose charioteer is discernment", manaḥ-pragrahavān — "who holds the reins of the mind", so 'dhvanaḥ pāram āpnoti — "he reaches the end of the road" (adhvan — a road, a long journey). And here is the name of the end: tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam — "that is the supreme abode (pada — both 'step' and 'abode') of Viṣṇu".
The road of self-mastery ends neither in a psychological state nor in a nameless void — but with a Person. Viṣṇu is "the All-pervading", the Preserver, that very Lord whose "step" the Vedic hymns called the highest place (Ṛg-veda 1.22.20: tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ — "that supreme step of Viṣṇu the wise ever behold"). The Kaṭha deliberately sets the ancient formula as the goal of all its chariot-science: self-control is neither an end in itself nor a road to self-deification; the rein is needed in order to arrive — at Him.
So the image of the two in the secret place (verse 55) is resolved as well: the enjoying soul drives her team not in order to remain alone but so that the road may bring her to the Witness — home. All the rungs of the ladder which the Upaniṣad builds next (senses — mind — intellect — the great Ātman — the Puruṣa) are the milestones of this one road to one Abode.